ACT II
Gulfstream – in Warp...
Three large rubber balls fell to the ten-forward floor. With that, there was a loud chear from half of the crowded room. And a crewmen fell to the ground, in tears.
The other crewman picked up the defeated one from the floor, and gave him a hug. It was a sweet game.
As the stars of warp flew by the forward viewports, as three starships and three haulers screamed at pancake-on-the-wall speeds towards Sector 248, Nakajima sipped a small glass of nihonshyu (sake), as it steamed in the bottle before her. It calmed her nerves down.
A moment later, Harry Kim came to her table, and sat with her. He had a padd with him, which he slid to Nakajima. "Latest news from the station."
Nakajima picked it up and started to read it. "Admiral Janeway's in command?"
"For the next two days," Kim said. "It seems she's going to see why it's so hard for the Captain to do his job."
"We can understand why, from the Captain's point of view," Nakajima said. "I guess Starfleet brass just don't understand so much."
"Admiral Janeway does," Kim said. "I've seen her in the most difficult of situations."
"She's never been in a political powerstruggle before," Nakajima reminded Kim. "When was the last time you remember Voyager having to sit in one sector of the Delta Quadrant, trying to clean up a mess as big as this, that threatens an entire civilization?"
"The last time I remember was when Admiral Janeway took a pair of tricobalt devices to the Caretaker's array, to prevent the Kazon from wiping out the Ocampa," Kim said. "It royally screwed the Kazon Ogla Sect."
"Well, two tricobalt devices, and Captain Kirk tactics, are NOT going to save the lives of trillions in the Federation, Klingon, and Romulan Empires," Nakajima reminded Kim. "The Captain may be a hardass at times, but he has experience in political powerstruggles."
"How? He wasn't an ambassador. He was a hostage negotiator," Kim recalled.
"Hostage negotiation is an art that most Ambassadors should learn to use," Nakajima said. "If it wasn't for the Captain, during the Dominion Wars, we would have lost tens of millions. He's the best negotiator in the entire Federation, that includes ratings verses Ambassadors'."
Kim pondered that a moment as the activites wound down to a close in the lounge. A few moments later, Daniels joined Nakajima and Kim, as the last of the ball players left the lounge.
"Things are slightly out of place," Daniels surmised.
"What do you mean?" Nakajima said with a puzzling stare.
Daniels clearified himself. "We're almost in Sector 200 already, where we join the trade route that goes right to Starbase 248. And there's not a single ship in sight in Sector 200."
"And that's weird... how?" Kim wondered. "There isn't hardly anything in Sector 200 to begin with, save for the Netengi Pulsar, which isn't anywhere near the route."
"But it is the Klonsmoth holiday on Veresia Five," Daniels said. "Veresia Five is a Tandaran Colony World."
"And the Tandarans should be heading to the Snobolisk Temple right about now?" Nakajima wondered.
"Exactly," Daniels said. "Add to the fact that there are no ships registered on long range sensors... something bad must be happening."
"The Negarani?" Kim wondered.
"Probably..."
"The Captain?"
Admiral Janeway nodded to Wing. "Does the captain usually get involved with government leaders' daughters?"
Wing shrugged. "I don't know. From what I can tell, it's not every day that the Captain gets to fall in love with anyone. I don't think anyone could fall in love with him, to be honest. It would take a temporal anaomaly for anyone to do that. And I do think the people in on the Nebula Station are studying one right now."
"Sarcasm aside, Lieutenant," Janeway said, "do you know of any other instances in the Captain's performance pattern, where he summerarally dismissed fleet captains?"
"There was the time he releaved Captain Daniels last month," Wing said. "But the Captain was frustrated at the time, and he appologized for it."
"Yet Captain Daniels put in a rightful protest against Captain McGawan anyway," Janeway refreshed.
"All I know, Admiral, is that the Captain was put in a very difficult position from the moment he stepped off of the Enterprise back in March. That, added to the ongrowing problems of worlds leaving the Federation left and right out here, I think you would act the same way if the circumstances allowed you to do so."
"Probably right," Janeway said. "But then again, if I did act that way, I wouldn't be admiral right now. Keep that in mind, Lieutenant, when your next performance evaluation is put on my desk back at Starfleet Command."
Wing gulped that down hard. And it hurt bad. "Yes, Admiral."
Captain's Log, Supplemental.
The Convoy has joined the main trade corridor in Sector 200, and we are proceiding directly to Sector 248. Our navigator has us coming in around the Korizon Nebula, and through the lower part of the sector, around Negarani Space. With the Gertland in our convoy, I think we'll be alright. But for the meantime, all ships in the convoy have gone to yellow alert.
The bridge was unusually quiet, as the yellow lights slowly flashed on the bulkhead, indicating yellow alert. The Galaxy-class Gulfstream eased down the corridor through Sector 200, almost to Sector 201. The pulsar that Kim mentioned reigstered on sensors for a moment as a point of interest, but of course, no detour was made.
The mood on the bridge was just as still as the air seemed to be. No one said a word. The only noise that was being made were the beeps of consoles. Not even the sound of people coming on and off turbolift cars made any difference. Daniels was reading a news report on a padd, O'Riley was watching her small console, all other officers were performing their duties, as Nakajima and Kim watched on from mission ops consoles on the aft high-deck.
Halloweigh made yet another sensor check on the tactical board. Still nothing out of the ordinary registered. Just the Gurtland, the unpowered North Star, and the five haulers towing it. He closed his eyes and started to play a game of online chess, when the console sounded loudly. "Shit!" he called, getting scared out of his wits. "Captain, we got company!"
"What the hell?" That scared Daniels too. "Who?"
"Seven Negarani Warships at mid-range warp speeds, bearing zero-zero-zero mark zero, zero elevation, heading right for us!"
"Seven?" O'Riley echoed.
"Red alert! All ships, hold your lines," Daniels called out. "I repeat, hold your lines!"
Then, all at once, it happened. The Negarani ships came screaming right for the convoy. One of the freighters smashed into a hauler, destroying it and two other haulers, leaving two left to attempt to toe the unpowered starship. The would-be kami-kaze ships only suffered minor damage, but were forced to drop from warp.
The two remaining haulers could not tow the North Star, so they dropped from warp. Daniels ordered the Gulfstream to drop from warp as well, knowing the convoy was broken.
The Gertland also dropped from warp, engaging a few Negarani ships also. However, the damaged Negarani vessels, still capable of fighting, made a run for the North Star. They grabbed the vessel in tractor beams, and began to haul off with it.
"Persuit course!" Daniels said.
"Two more Negarani vessels coming about to intercept," Halloweigh reported. Two warships came into range just between the Gulfstream and the heist in progress.
"Arm quantom torpedoes and fire!" Daniels said. "We don't have time for this."
The Gulfstream unleashed on the Negarani warships, blowing them apart. Ignoring the debris, the mighty starship screamed at sublight speeds, easily catching the damaged Negarani freighters. The Gulfstream openned fire, destroying one freighter, while two, still warp capable, freighters locked onto the North Star with their tractor beams.
"Keep up with them," Daniels said.
Sensors registered something that everyone knew was coming. "They're beaming teams aboard the North Star."
"Captain," Nakajima said, rising to the occasion. "Give me a security detail. Me and Kim can go. We have the command codes."
Daniels nodded. "Okay. But I have a bad feeling about that. Halloweigh, go with them. We'll cut off their support out here. Helm, keep us to within transporter range. Have the Gertland come around and start kicking some ass. Halloweigh, have Alpha, Beta, and Gamma teams report to transporter rooms two, three, and four. Nakajima is in command."
"With pleasure, Sir," Halloweigh said with a broad smile. "Let's go!"
As the officers left the bridge, O'Riley swung around to tactical, taking over. "I've got weapons hot and ready, Captain."
"Have Captain Oliver give us a little bit of support," Daniels said. "And tell her she owes me a bottle of Romulan Ale after we get that ship back."
"Already sent. She says... 'go to hell, you drunken scumbag?'"
"I'll take it," Daniels said. "Attack pattern delta-four. Target those warp friggates and fire! Keep them at sublight!"
The Gulfstream made a dive-bomb run for the North Star, as the Gertland gave cover fire, firing phasers. Three other freighters came in, firing directly on the Gulfstream, trying to pound her warp nacells apart.
This was something that Daniels was not going to have. "Stay on course. Commander, open up the aft arrays and open fire."
Just as one freighter attempted to make a high-speed straifing run on the Gulfstream, the Galaxy-class starship's warp nacells openned fire on the freighter, taking out the frieghter's unsuspecting weapons array and shield grids. Plus, O'Riley, for good measure, unleashed two quantom torpedoes onto the freighter, instantly destroying it with no great effort.
"We're in transporter position," called the helmsman.
"Transporter rooms, energize!" Daniels took a quick breath. "After we complete transport, bring the sheilds back up and maintain a relative position, giving support and persuit. Helm, what's our position?"
The helmsman checked the instruments. "We're approaching Sector 235."
On the screen, the frieghters took up a relative towing position, going into warp.
"You know what to do," Daniels said. "Get Starbase 248 on the comm. Tell Admiral Janeway to ready any calvary we have out there. We're gonna need it."
And thusly, the real mission began.
END OF ACT II